Dean Warren Higgins, age 81, of 5701 St. Route 42 N, Mount Gilead, died unexpectedly on Friday, May 26, 2006, at the home of his birth doing what he loved, working with his tractors on his farm. Dean was born on March 13, 1925, the son of the late Clark and Josie (Fogle) Higgins. He graduated from Mount Gilead High School on May 28, 1943.
On July 28, 1945, Dean was drafted into the U.S. Army serving during World War II overseas as a 5th grade technician, a military policeman, and telephone switchboard operator. A lifelong farmer and “hard worker,” Dean began working on the farm as soon as he became able to do his chores. He milked cows, chopped wood, raised cattle and seven children, and then grain farmed until he semi retired to care for his wife Frieda. Being so in tune with nature, on a humid sultry August night he could “hear the corn grow at night.” Every spring he looked forward to the new beginning and the planting of seeds.
On January 14, 1962, Dean married his loving wife of over 42 years, Frieda Mae (Field) Higgins, who preceded him in death on November 4, 2004. Together, Frieda and Dean, enjoyed traveling and doing mission work together, making several trips to Alaska and others to Michigan. They also enjoyed traveling and playing dominos with their dear friends.
Dean has been an active member of the Bryn Zion Baptist Church all of his life, holding several positions in the church and was currently serving as the Head Deacon, and the Assistant Superintendent. He truly lived his Christian beliefs, and was an “angel on earth” to his wife, family, and friends. Dean was a member of Gideon’s, the Farm Bureau Council a.k.a. “Halves and Better Halves,” the Antique Tractor Association, and the Silver King Tractor Club. He also volunteered with Meals on Wheels, and became the infamous “live raccoon trapper” for Hospice of Morrow County.
As a father, Dean will be remembered for having the “patience of Job,” and for having a deep understanding and love for his children. As a “grandpa,” his “strong farm hands” became soft to hold each new grandchild, and he embodied exactly what a father and grandfather “should” be. Dean was deeply loved and will be truly missed by his family and friends.
He is survived by his loving children, which include four sons Robert C. Trainer, Michael L. Trainer, and James H. (Joanne) Trainer all of Mount Gilead, and Thomas D. (Julie) Trainer of New Carlisle, Ohio; two daughters Laura E. (Danny) Young and Susan A. (Lonnie) Prater both of Mount Gilead; a daughter-in-law, Rita Trainer of Redding, California; 21
